Racing bike rear wheel

[tricky69]

i bought a new racing bike last year, a bianchi something or other for my daily commute. I normally ride mountain bikes so excuse my iggnorance with this but my back wheel keeps buckling. I am not the smallest guy in the world and think the pot holes in london don't help.

So wanted to get a new rear wheel, one that is stronger and therefore last longer. I don't want to spend huge amounts of money so was thinking in the £50 area..

What would people suggest ?

thks

[mchammer89]

tricky69 said:

i bought a new racing bike last year, a bianchi something or other for my daily commute. I normally ride mountain bikes so excuse my iggnorance with this but my back wheel keeps buckling. I am not the smallest guy in the world and think the pot holes in london don't help.

So wanted to get a new rear wheel, one that is stronger and therefore last longer. I don't want to spend huge amounts of money so was thinking in the £50 area..

What would people suggest ?

thks

How many spokes did the previous wheel have?

Who built/trued it it?


I've always used 36h rims (purely so I can built a wheel with 3 leading 3 trailing spoke pattern) and built them myself, never had a problem with the wheels being out of true despite using them pretty much everyday in London.

Make sure you don't have stupidly low spoke count (say at least 32 if it's for city commuting) and get them built by someone who knows what they're doing.

[Roman]

Spend slightly more and get a handbuilt wheel.

Ideally I'd suggest 32 or even 36 plain gauge DT or Sapim spokes with Mavic CXP22 or Open Sport rims and a suitable hub for your groupset. If your hub has 28 holes or more you could ask your wheelbuilder if he can re-use it to save some money but you can buy new Tiagra hubs from Wiggle for £20 (if you run Shimano).

It may be worth upsizing the profile of your tyres to 25c or 28c and ensure they are always sufficiently inflated for your weight & riding conditions (I'm 95+kg and often ride 120psi rear & 115psi front).

These guys are good:
http://www.parker-international.co.uk/15744/Hand-B...

[dubbs]

Something like a Mavic Aksium is a bit stronger - any decent bike shop should be able to recommend a wheel more suitable for your weight... I used to have the same problem on my commuter bike, chucked an Aksium on and there it has stayed for the last 4 years.

[dubbs]

I always ride 120psi and try to be vary aware of road surfaces coming up - especially London riding where it is all to easy to miss the lumps and bumps (usually in summer whilst staring at other lumps and bumps you probably shouldn't be paying attention to!!)

[louiebaby]

I was having the same problem, then I had a rear wheel built by Andy at On Your Bike, London Bridge. He used "double hard bd" spokes, and 32 of the little blighters.

It buckled again recently, but only due to a collision with a pedestrian. (She'll be fine.)

I'm about to get a new bike, and I'll be going for 36 spokes on the rear, and will take advice on the front. I'll also run 25c instead of 23c. (I think that's what the slightly larger tyres are called.)

[tricky69]

louiebaby said:

I was having the same problem, then I had a rear wheel built by Andy at On Your Bike, London Bridge. He used "double hard bd" spokes, and 32 of the little blighters.

It buckled again recently, but only due to a collision with a pedestrian. (She'll be fine.)

I'm about to get a new bike, and I'll be going for 36 spokes on the rear, and will take advice on the front. I'll also run 25c instead of 23c. (I think that's what the slightly larger tyres are called.)

thats souynds like the ticket.. and it is on my way home ! How much did the wheel cost ?

[louiebaby]

tricky69 said:

thats souynds like the ticket.. and it is on my way home ! How much did the wheel cost ?

The wheel build is about £35 (labour.) The hub will be about £20, the spokes about £20 and the rim maybe about £25. You won't get much change from £100, but it shouldn't go too far over either.